Chips/damage to Lariat windshield laminate coating

[Jeff D.]

There are cleaning chemicals that make the pitting issue worse, or at least much more noticable. It doesn't cause more pits, but etches the glass within the pits which make them much more visible.

I don't know if car washes use these chemicals, but truck washes do. My semi winshields were very visibly pitted after going thru the truck washes.

They would use a slightly acidic washing solution and alkaline rise. Cleaned the paint and aluminum very well but hell on the glass.

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[AndrewinMD]

If you don’t follow closely this damage does not happen. That is from road debris/sand pelting the front of your vehicle. Happens to every car, but much less if you leave room in traffic. You’ll have to pony up for a replacement. That’s wear/use.

Oh FFS, what complete BS. I've driven the same for decades and have never seen this with a windshield that hadn't seen over 100k miles. Even then (on a Ranger), it wasn't as bad nor did the damage worsen as quickly. And that truck spent several years in Alaska, for God's sake. I'm on the east coast in an area with good roads, not driving through sandstorms or hail.

 

[Montana]

Ok, thanks for that. I guess it's just a crappy windshield then. Maybe subpar glass.

Seems to be the common ground here from how many reports come in about this. And yes, my Escape was the same way. Older vehicles, never had a problem.

If you don’t follow closely this damage does not happen. That is from road debris/sand pelting the front of your vehicle. Happens to every car, but much less if you leave room in traffic. You’ll have to pony up for a replacement. That’s wear/use.

That's an assumption. I never follow close but I live in rural Montana where highways are single lane and oncoming can and has done the majority of damage. I watched slow motion one time a rock come from an oncoming vehicle bounce up and hit my windshield. These windshields are incredibly cheaply made and it's starting to show by the crazy amount of reports that we see here so often. Also, tons of locations simply don't always have that perfect scenario option of not following so close... sometimes people force their way in or you have to merge etc etc. I agree, make an effort not to, but it's an assumption to think that is the cause for everyone reporting these issues.

 

[fltwd]

Oh FFS, what complete BS. I've driven the same for decades and have never seen this with a windshield that hadn't seen over 100k miles. Even then (on a Ranger), it wasn't as bad nor did the damage worsen as quickly. And that truck spent several years in Alaska, for God's sake. I'm on the east coast in an area with good roads, not driving through sandstorms or hail.

Im being honest, Oh FFS dude then don’t complain about a crap windshield in a #3 quality truck. Didn’t you know quality is not job 1 at Ford anymore? FFS, they took it (quality is job 1) right off the wall at the assembly plant. That’s such BS!

 

[lavaspill]

I posted about this some time ago, but I'm curious if anyone is seeing the same things I am now. My '22 Lariat (17k miles) has serious and widespread damage to the windshield, though I think it's actually the sound reduction lamination on it (see photos). That's not dirt or dust or anything like that -- I had just cleaned the windshield with the wipers. At night, you can also see the damage as tiny glints from ambient light/headlights. It's becoming a visibility issue.

[edit] Some of the larger spots/smudges are bug remnants. It's the tiny points that are increasing in amount. I cleaned the windshield with a really good cleaner and a professional-grade rubber scraper/squeegee, which made no difference.

I have taken it to my local dealer twice. The first time, the guy just blew it off and said there was no problem. The second time, I emphasized that there is indeed an issue, and they "cleaned it". After the service guy consulted with the service manager and some other manager, they said maybe it was sap on the windshield and said it wasn't damaged. Well, the spots cannot be removed in any way. You can ever so slightly feel that there's damage/indentation at some points.

I have NEVER seen this kind of damage to a relatively low mileage windshield that has not experienced some sort of "event" like a sandstorm, which I haven't. It's much worse than it was 6 months ago, and I swear that it worsened considerably on our holiday trip to and from Georgia. We encountered rain but no other kind of bad weather and no ice or scraping. For comparison, my daughter's VW still looks pristine, and it's over a year older.

I have a feeling that the dealer is just going to give me the finger again. Any ideas?

Mine is similar 20k

 

[mdsalemi]

Are you certain this issue is between the layers of glass and NOT on the outer surface? My eyes are very sensitive to glare and a lot of glare is caused by either streaking on the outer surface of the glass caused by wipers, or "pitting" caused by sandblasting; that's simply by driving on a highway. You don't need to be behind a sand truck or anything, just driving at highway speeds.

On nearly all my cars I've owned since 1979, the sandblast pitting is definitely noticeable at around 20K miles, really bad at 40K, and unbearable at 50K. I just bite the bullet and replace the glass. For me it's a safety thing. I hate glare at night. When I lived in Michigan, usually I'd get a stone chip or crack which then became a comprehensive insurance issue.

For anyone thinking it's a quality issue because this is a low end truck from Ford, think again. That has nothing to do with it. I've replaced the windshield on a Mercedes, VW and other marques besides Ford, all for the pitting reason. Saint-Gobain, PPG, FoMoCo, DCL and other glass manufacturers over the years. That may not be @AndrewinMD problem but it sure has been mine across the board.

 

[Oscarcat]

I posted about this some time ago, but I'm curious if anyone is seeing the same things I am now. My '22 Lariat (17k miles) has serious and widespread damage to the windshield, though I think it's actually the sound reduction lamination on it (see photos). That's not dirt or dust or anything like that -- I had just cleaned the windshield with the wipers. At night, you can also see the damage as tiny glints from ambient light/headlights. It's becoming a visibility issue.

[edit] Some of the larger spots/smudges are bug remnants. It's the tiny points that are increasing in amount. I cleaned the windshield with a really good cleaner and a professional-grade rubber scraper/squeegee, which made no difference.

I have taken it to my local dealer twice. The first time, the guy just blew it off and said there was no problem. The second time, I emphasized that there is indeed an issue, and they "cleaned it". After the service guy consulted with the service manager and some other manager, they said maybe it was sap on the windshield and said it wasn't damaged. Well, the spots cannot be removed in any way. You can ever so slightly feel that there's damage/indentation at some points.

I have NEVER seen this kind of damage to a relatively low mileage windshield that has not experienced some sort of "event" like a sandstorm, which I haven't. It's much worse than it was 6 months ago, and I swear that it worsened considerably on our holiday trip to and from Georgia. We encountered rain but no other kind of bad weather and no ice or scraping. For comparison, my daughter's VW still looks pristine, and it's over a year older.

I have a feeling that the dealer is just going to give me the finger again. Any ideas?

On the 22 Lariat EB I sold @ 8,800 mi when my 24 hybrid arrived, it seemed the windshield outter glass was more porous and not as "tempered" as it should have been.

The glass on my 24 hybrid Lariat, 1,100 mi, seems clearer and resistant to bugs and water marks. I was going to coat the windshield on the '22 with RainX but never got around to it. Bottom line, to me there is an apparent difference between the windshield in the two vehicles.

 

[PapaRico]

I posted about this some time ago, but I'm curious if anyone is seeing the same things I am now. My '22 Lariat (17k miles) has serious and widespread damage to the windshield, though I think it's actually the sound reduction lamination on it (see photos). That's not dirt or dust or anything like that -- I had just cleaned the windshield with the wipers. At night, you can also see the damage as tiny glints from ambient light/headlights. It's becoming a visibility issue.

[edit] Some of the larger spots/smudges are bug remnants. It's the tiny points that are increasing in amount. I cleaned the windshield with a really good cleaner and a professional-grade rubber scraper/squeegee, which made no difference.

I have taken it to my local dealer twice. The first time, the guy just blew it off and said there was no problem. The second time, I emphasized that there is indeed an issue, and they "cleaned it". After the service guy consulted with the service manager and some other manager, they said maybe it was sap on the windshield and said it wasn't damaged. Well, the spots cannot be removed in any way. You can ever so slightly feel that there's damage/indentation at some points.

I have NEVER seen this kind of damage to a relatively low mileage windshield that has not experienced some sort of "event" like a sandstorm, which I haven't. It's much worse than it was 6 months ago, and I swear that it worsened considerably on our holiday trip to and from Georgia. We encountered rain but no other kind of bad weather and no ice or scraping. For comparison, my daughter's VW still looks pristine, and it's over a year older.

I have a feeling that the dealer is just going to give me the finger again. Any ideas?

30k on my 22 and I don't have this issue. I use Rain-X in my window washer fluid, not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. I know it sure helps with bug juice cleanup.

 

[Bigred]

If you get to the point that you want or need to replace it, look into Gorilla Glass. Top of the line windshield.

 

[Bohefus]

I have had my truck for about a week & a Semi kicked up a rock( non fixable crack) and now the windshield needs to be replaced.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Are you certain this issue is between the layers of glass and NOT on the outer surface? My eyes are very sensitive to glare and a lot of glare is caused by either streaking on the outer surface of the glass caused by wipers, or "pitting" caused by sandblasting; that's simply by driving on a highway. You don't need to be behind a sand truck or anything, just driving at highway speeds.

On nearly all my cars I've owned since 1979, the sandblast pitting is definitely noticeable at around 20K miles, really bad at 40K, and unbearable at 50K. I just bite the bullet and replace the glass. For me it's a safety thing. I hate glare at night. When I lived in Michigan, usually I'd get a stone chip or crack which then became a comprehensive insurance issue.

For anyone thinking it's a quality issue because this is a low end truck from Ford, think again. That has nothing to do with it. I've replaced the windshield on a Mercedes, VW and other marques besides Ford, all for the pitting reason. Saint-Gobain, PPG, FoMoCo, DCL and other glass manufacturers over the years. That may not be @AndrewinMD problem but it sure has been mine across the board.

I have had comprehensive coverage replacement for "sand pitting"! Excessive glare in drivers vision!!!

 

[Johnny maverick]

I have 22k on mine and have 3 star bruises. About 3 to 4 inches up. The only other vehicle I have that the windshield eats rocks is my rubicon. Must be something with the aerodynamics sending Rocks down low on the windshield. My friend had had his maverick for a month and already has two bruises.

 

[bobbroyl]

I posted about this some time ago, but I'm curious if anyone is seeing the same things I am now. My '22 Lariat (17k miles) has serious and widespread damage to the windshield, though I think it's actually the sound reduction lamination on it (see photos). That's not dirt or dust or anything like that -- I had just cleaned the windshield with the wipers. At night, you can also see the damage as tiny glints from ambient light/headlights. It's becoming a visibility issue.

[edit] Some of the larger spots/smudges are bug remnants. It's the tiny points that are increasing in amount. I cleaned the windshield with a really good cleaner and a professional-grade rubber scraper/squeegee, which made no difference.

I have taken it to my local dealer twice. The first time, the guy just blew it off and said there was no problem. The second time, I emphasized that there is indeed an issue, and they "cleaned it". After the service guy consulted with the service manager and some other manager, they said maybe it was sap on the windshield and said it wasn't damaged. Well, the spots cannot be removed in any way. You can ever so slightly feel that there's damage/indentation at some points.

I have NEVER seen this kind of damage to a relatively low mileage windshield that has not experienced some sort of "event" like a sandstorm, which I haven't. It's much worse than it was 6 months ago, and I swear that it worsened considerably on our holiday trip to and from Georgia. We encountered rain but no other kind of bad weather and no ice or scraping. For comparison, my daughter's VW still looks pristine, and it's over a year older.

I have a feeling that the dealer is just going to give me the finger again. Any ideas?

Bummer

 

[imboden013]

Bummer

22 Lariat windshield looks like it’s been through a sandstorm or something. But I’ve been no where near a sandstorm it’s got tiny little shiny looking speckles all over. Impossible to clean. Tried vinegar formula windex and paper towels just looks awful. Night time and bright sunshine driving really is bad. Almost want to take a baseball bat to it.

 

[40caliber]

Wonder if windshield coverage and a hammer might help?

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